Annealing apparatus



July 14, 1964 CARTER 3,140,594

' ANNEALING APPARATUS Original Filed Sept. 8, 1959 I! q I I OPEN c| os:-:o POSITION INVENTOR.

ERNEST P. CARTER IZMAM ATTO NEY United States Patent 5 Claims. (Cl. 68-5) This invention relates to annealing apparatus and more particularly to closures or seals for continuous annealers.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 838,472, filed September 8, 1959, now abandoned, for Textile Treating Process and Apparatus.

In the manufacture of chemical textile fibers it is usually necessary that the fibers or filament be annealed at some stage of manufacture. The usual procedure is to anneal the filaments in bundles. A more desirable procedure, from a standpoint of cost and production, is to continuously or semi-continuously anneal the filaments. The primary problem with continuous annealing is that it is very difiicult to seal a continuous annealing chamber to prevent leakage of steam. With this in mind, one of the objects of this invention is to provide a novel and improved closure.

Another object of this invention is to provide an efiicient seal for a continuous annealer.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a seal which can be closed on filaments extending through an annealing chamber.

One embodiment of the present invention contemplates an annealing chamber having in the end thereof a concave recess into which a convex cushion is adapted to fit. The chamber is provided with a plurality of filament passageways which lead from the concave recess to the interior of the chamber, these passageways being covered by the cushion when the cushion is moved into sealing position.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which the single figure is a cross-sectional View of one end of an annealing chamber showing the seal in open position.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, one end of an annealing chamber 11 is shown provided with a concave recess 12. Steam is admitted to the interior of the chamber 11 through inlets 13 to anneal a plurality of filaments or tows 17 extending through the chamber, the condensate being removed from the chamber through an outlet 18. While only one end of the chamber is shown, it should be understood that both ends are constructed in the same manner.

The end of the chamber 11 is provided with a plurality of pasageways 21 through which the filaments or tows 17 are advanced into the chamber. These passageways extend from the concave recess 12 to the interior of the chamber 11 and are arranged in a circular pattern concentric with the recess 12. This circular arrangement separates the filaments in the chamber for better steam penetration and to prevent tangling.

A convex closure member or cushion 22 of soft rubber or other material is provided for sealing the passageways 21 to prevent the leakage of steam from the chamber 11. The cushion 22, which has a configuration adapted to conform to the configuration of the recess 12, is attached to and carried by a movable arm 24. The arm 24 is slidably mounted in a bracket 25 and is actuated by a fluid cylinder 26. Operation of the cylinder 26 moves the cushion 22 into the recess 12 to seal the pasageways 21 or away from the recess 12 to free the filaments 17 for movement through the pasageways 21.

It will be noted that the passageways 21 curve radially outward as they approach the surface of the recess 12, the outer ends of these passageways being substantially tangent to the surface of the convex cushion in closed position. This insures that the cushion (which is shown in open position) does not sharply bend the filaments when it is moved to its closed or sealing position.

In operation of the apparatus, the cylinder 26 is actuated to move the cushion 22 away from the recess 12 to open the passageways 21. The filaments or tows 17 are then advanced by well known means (not shown) to position and hold an unannealed length of the filaments in the chamber. The cylinder is then actuated to move the cushion 22 into the recess to seal the passageways 21. Steam is then admitted to the chamber to anneal the span of filaments therein. This procedure is repeated to anneal the filaments 17 along the length thereof.

It is to be understood that the embodiment disclosed herein is merely illustrative and that numerous other embodiments can be contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for annealing a filament, comprising a chamber having in the wall thereof a concave recess, said wall having therein a pasageway extending from the recess through the wall to the interior of the chamber, a convex closure member positioned for movement into the recess to close the passageway, and means connected to the member for moving said member into the recess, said passageway intersecting the surface of the closure member at substantially a tangent to said member.

2. An apparatus for annealing a filament, comprising an annealing chamber having in the outer surface of the wall thereof a concave recess, said wall having therein a plurality of filament passageways interconnected between the recess and the interior of the chamber, said passageways being arranged in a circular pattern concentric with said recess, each of said passageways being substantially tangent to the surface of said recess at the intersection of said passageway with said recess, a convex cushion positioned for movement into the recess to close the passageways, and means connected to the cushion for moving said cushion.

3. An apparatus for annealing a filament, comprising a chamber having in the end wall thereof a concave recess, said wall having therein a plurality of filament passageways leading from the recess to the interior of the chamber, said passageways being arranged in a circle concentric with the concave recess, each of said passageways being curved radially outward to intersect the recess at a tangent thereto, a resilient cushion mounted for movement into the recess to seal the passageways, said cushion having a convex configuration, means connected to the cushion for moving said cushion, and means for feeding steam into the chamber.

4. An apparatus for annealing a filament, comprising an elongated annealing chamber, a recessed wall in the end of said chamber having a passageway extending therethrough, a closure member movable into the recess to close the passageway, said passageway intersecting the surface of the closure member at substantially a tangent to said closure member, and means for introducing steam into the chamber.

5. An apparatus for annealing a continuous filament, comprising an elongated chamber having in the end wall thereof a concave recess, said wall having therein a plurality of filament passageways for connecting said recess with the interior of said chamber, said passageways being arranged in a circle concentric with the concave recess.

positioned for movement into the recess to seal the pass 15 ageways, a fluid cylinder connectd to said cushion for reciprocting the same into and out of contact with the recessed wall, and a manifold positioned on the chamber for introducing steam into said chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 689,478 Fish Dec. 24, 1901 1,020,294 Krosnowski Mar. 12, 1912 1,170,228 Elliott Feb. 1, 1916 FOREIGN PATENTS 235,130 Germany June 1 1911 

4. AN APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING A FILAMENT, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED ANNEALING CHAMBER, A RECESSED WALL IN THE END OF SAID CHAMBER HAVING A PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, A CLOSURE MEMBER MOVABLE INTO THE RECESS TO CLOSE THE PASSAGEWAY, SAID PASSAGEWAY INTERSECTING THE SURFACE OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER AT SUBSTANTIALLY A TANGENT TO SAID CLOSURE MEMBER, AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING STEAM INTO THE CHAMBER. 